NC DSS Documents Needed for Grandchild Benefits: The Complete Checklist

Why Getting Documents Right the First Time Matters

If an official record is unavailable, North Carolina DSS regulations prohibit an immediate denial solely for that reason. Caseworkers must assist applicants in securing missing records. Follow the due date on any written request and contact the caseworker if you need help obtaining a record.

The fix is straightforward: gather everything before you apply. Here's what DSS actually needs, organized by what it proves.

Proving Your Identity

For identity, provide official records you have, such as a North Carolina driver's license or state identification card. If you don't have one, ask your county DSS what alternative verification it accepts; caseworkers must assist applicants in securing missing official records.

Proving the Child Lives With You

DSS needs evidence that the child physically resides at your address. Any of the following work: school enrollment records showing your address as the child's home address, a letter from the child's school confirming the child lives with you, a medical record from the child's pediatrician listing your address, a utility bill in your name at your current address, or a landlord statement confirming the child lives in your household.

You don't need all of these. Submit the evidence you have; DSS can use alternative verification when formal records are unavailable.

Proving Your Relationship to the Child

For the Work First child-only grant, the caregiver must be a "specified relative" within the fifth degree of kinship. The most direct proof is a chain of birth certificates linking you to the child. For a grandmother: the child's birth certificate (showing the parent) and the parent's birth certificate (showing you). For an aunt or uncle: the same chain, plus your own birth certificate showing you share a parent with the child's parent.

If you don't have the full birth certificate chain — which is common when children arrive suddenly — DSS can use alternative verification. A written statement from the child's parent acknowledging the relationship and care arrangement can support the application. Other documented alternatives include a sworn third-party affidavit, hospital birth footprint, baptismal certificate, or school record. Ask the caseworker what establishes the kinship link in your case.

The Child's Social Security Number

DSS needs the child's Social Security number to process benefits. If you don't have the child's card and the parent can't provide it, you can request a replacement from the Social Security Administration (SSA). Tell the caseworker you've requested a replacement and ask whether the application can proceed while you wait for the number.

Income Documentation

For the child (Work First child-only): Any income the child receives in their own name — Social Security survivor benefits, child support payments, trust distributions — and any countable resources, such as a bank account in the child's name. If the child has none, state that explicitly. The caseworker needs confirmation, not just silence.

For you (FNS/food stamps): Your pay stubs (last 30 days), Social Security award letter, pension statement, any other income sources. Food stamps count your income, so be thorough. The excess shelter deduction can significantly reduce your countable income, so bring your rent receipt or mortgage statement and utility bills too.

For Medicaid: If you're not claiming the child as a tax dependent, Medicaid evaluates the child's income only. Provide the same child income documentation as for Work First.

Shelter and Expense Documentation

For FNS, bring your rent or mortgage payment amount (landlord receipt, lease, mortgage statement), utility bills (electric, gas, water, phone), and any childcare expenses. These deductions lower your net income and can increase your food stamp benefit.

What If You're Missing Something

Tell the caseworker upfront. It's better to submit what you have and explain what's coming than to delay the entire application waiting for a single document. DSS can begin processing and give you a deadline to provide the missing item. Follow the due date on the written request, and ask the caseworker for help obtaining missing official records.

If you're applying through ePASS, upload what you have at submission and add remaining documents later through your enhanced account. Upload readable copies of the documents.

Our North Carolina Kinship Financial Help Guide includes a pre-assembled document checklist organized by program, with notes on what counts as acceptable alternative proof for each requirement.

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